Audrie: "We have to take the volleyball, too, and the basketball, and something to feed the fish, and we can picnic by the windmill, and..." her voice trails off into the hallway.

Me looking in our pantry: "Get your shoes on, we're going to the convenience store to get some Pop Tarts."

We then jump into the car, stop by then convenience store for a breakfast lacking any nutritional value, and then head back to the park that sits in the fairly new community across the street from ours.

Although I would love to one day own my own little piece of land with a house, uniquely designed sitting proudly atop a hill in front of our pond, I do so enjoy the amenities that come with a master planned community. It's all of the fun that parks and pools bring without the work it takes to maintain them. And one of the perks that comes with living in a rapidly growing area is that with new master planned communities popping up all around us, we have a lot of parks to choose from! But with a recent walk to the park across the road, it was determined by my daughter that every park visit henceforth should be to this particular park. What makes this park so appealing that it is now deemed the sole proprietor of our outdoor fun? Is it the newness of the playground? I would say so, except that our own community installed a third playground around the same time this one was put into place. Is it the basketball court, or sand volleyball pit? Nope. We have those, too, although we never use them in our own community. Is it the open fields of grass beckoning the children to run through its endless sea of green? I would have to say no to this as well because we have as much if not more grassy area set aside for such purposes. So, what's the catch? Here's what I have concluded:

1. This community has a pond, and although we have a couple of ponds too, none contain, to my knowledge, an eddy full of catfish awaiting a delicious meal of cracker crumbs.

2. This community has a windmill which acts as a decorative feature that pumps water to create a fountain-like effect. Now, to any child who loves stirring water with sticks, if you add a windmill into the mix, it apparently makes it much more exciting. Our community has no decorative windmill feature.

3. This community promises the discovery of things that I'm sure our community has to offer, but it has not been proven with actual evidence. Things such as a very large turtle that was spotted whilst borrowing the much softer crushed gravel trails on my morning jog; sitings of owls being chased out of a tree by the small mockingbirds who inhabit it; fossilized shells which are sprinkled along the paths; crystals that sparkle at the bottom of the shallow pool where the windmill pumps its water.

I don't know how long this park will hold its title. It seems like the new shine begins to dull all too soon these days. But I will gladly travel to the "other side" as long as this park induces excitement in my children's eyes.